


In The Muddy Backyard

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:53:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27669823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: When Reese and Carter hold a Christmas party for their new neighbours, all is going well until Bear decides to come in from the backyard.  And it's not just his muddy paws that cause a problem.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 13
Collections: POI Advent 2020





	In The Muddy Backyard

“Are you sure this is really necessary?” Reese moaned.

“If we want to blend in, and look welcoming, what could be better than having a party for our new neighbours and inviting over a few of our old friends at the same time?” Carter replied.

“Yes, I get the ‘all get together, food and drinks’ bit. And at least with Finch paying the bill, it’s reasonable quality, but it’s all the rest.” Reese waved his hand around to indicate the decorations which had appeared that morning and were currently occupying the sofa and both armchairs.

“Can’t have a party without decorations. And the cheesier the better. But don’t worry, Shaw’s coming over to help me put them up.”

“I never saw Shaw as being a ‘decorate everything’ sort of person.”

“She isn’t. But she will get the job done.”

“And God help any decoration that dares fall down after she’s hung it up!”

“Precisely.”

***

Reese stood at the bar, topping up the glasses of anyone who came his way and allowed himself to feel slightly contented. It was all going remarkably smoothly. Fusco and Finch (currently calling himself Harold Raven) had come early enough they were mingling before their latest number arrived. Bear, having exuberantly greeted Reese when Finch brought him in, was now mooching around in the yard. And the neighbours all seemed appreciative of the effort they’d put in to integrate themselves into the community. 

Reese gave himself a mental shake. Long years’ experience, first in the field and now working with Finch, had taught him that the most dangerous point was when everything seemed to be going well and you relaxed your guard.

At that moment, he saw Bear come trotting through the back door, something in his mouth.

“Out!” Reese shouted.

“We don’t mind a dog in here,” one of the guests said.

“But I object to his large muddy paws,” Reese replied. “Harold, come and see to your dog!”

Reese and Finch went into the yard, and Reese persuaded Bear to drop the large purse he was holding. He opened it cautiously and showed the contents to Finch.

“Hmm,” Finch said, “I suppose a lady might carry one expensive watch in her purse if she didn’t want to wear it, but five,” he rifled through the purse, “no, six watches, would seem a little excessive. I presume you weren’t aware it was here?”

“Of course not,” Reese replied. “We’ve hardly come out into the yard since we moved in. It’s been too dark in the evenings and cold and wet on the weekends. It looks as though Bear must have dug it up.”

“I wonder what else is hidden at the bottom of the garden,” Finch said.

They both looked up at the sound of someone coming out of the back door. 

“Hi,” a woman’s voice said. 

Finch blinked at Reese, and they both turned in her direction, knowing she was their number.

“Has your dog been digging in the yard?” she continued.

Reese laughed. “Yes. I’m afraid so. He’s dug up a purse.” He walked towards her, holding it out.

“Oh, how funny. That’s mine,” she said. “I wondered where it had got to. The kids must have borrowed it for one of their games, and it got tossed over the fence.”

“Here you are then,” Reese said, handing it over. “It’s a bit muddy, but I don’t think it’s got many tooth marks in it.”

“Thank you. It’ll be fine. It’ll clean up all right.”

She accepted the purse and headed back inside, pausing to open it as she did so. She gave a slight gasp and then continued without turning back.

Once she was inside, Finch said, “I presume you had removed the contents.”

“Yes, they’re in my jacket pockets. I wonder what she’ll do next.”

Shaw came out to join them. “Your absence has been noted. You’d better get back inside before anyone starts to comment.”

“All right. But someone better sort Bear out. I still don’t want muddy pawmarks everywhere,” Reese said.

“I’ll do that,” Shaw replied.

They looked down to the end of the yard, where Bear appeared to be digging again.

“And I’ll see what he’s found.”

Reese and Finch returned to the party to find Fusco had taken over the bar.

“Thanks for covering for me. I’ll carry on now,” Reese said. “Harold’s dog was digging up our yard.”

“And you’ve left him out there?” Fusco said.

“Yeah…”

“Do you want me to keep an eye on him?”

“It might be an idea.”

Fusco nodded. Reese reasoned that if Shaw didn’t want help, she’d tell Fusco, but if there was anything else of interest, she might want to make use of him.

Reese continued to serve drinks and kept an eye on the number when she came his way. Finch had returned to the room in the front, so between them, she was constantly in view.

Slowly, the neighbours left, until finally the only people in the house were Carter, Reese and Finch.

Reese opened the back door, and shortly afterwards Shaw, Fusco and Bear came in.

“Paws!” Reese said.

“Already done,” Shaw replied. 

“Before anything else,” Finch said hurriedly, “I’m expecting our number to return quite soon. She’s rather inexpertly hidden that purse behind one of the chairs, so I’m fairly sure she’ll be back for it.”

“If it’s anything to do with Bear’s digging,” Shaw said, “you may like to know we also found four handguns hidden there. Expensive ones, too, or they would be if they weren’t fakes.”

“Fake as in not real guns, or...?” Reese said.

“Real guns, but not the makes they claim to be.”

There was a knock at the front door, and Reese went to answer it.

“Hello,” said a female voice. “You must think I’m a complete airhead. After all that I still managed to leave my purse behind. I don’t suppose you’ve found it?”

“We have,” Reese replied. “And I must admit to being curious as to why you’d let your kids play with a purse which has a number of very valuable watches inside it.”

“Oh!” She sat down on the nearest chair. “Are you the police?”

“No,” said Finch, who had come to join them. “But we would like to know why you buried six watches and some handguns at the end of the yard.”

“Guns? He never mentioned guns.”

“Who didn’t?”

“My cousin. Um, he wanted somewhere to keep the watches for a couple of weeks, and I told him it was too risky to have them in my house and suggested he could hide them in the backyard here since the property was vacant. And then you moved in sooner than we expected. But I knew nothing about the four guns.”

Reese and Finch continued to look stonily at her.

“You have to believe me,” she said. “Look, I’ll call my cousin and get him to talk to you.” She took out her cellphone and dialled a number. “Toni, I need your help. Call me back!” She gave a small smile.

“We’ll wait,” Reese said. He and Finch both sat down.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until they heard the sound of angry voices and Fusco pushed a struggling man in to join them.

“Cousin Toni, I presume,” Finch said. “Although I was sure, earlier in the evening, he was called Hunter and was, in fact, your husband.”

“What of it?” Hunter replied. “We’d like our goods back. Now!”

“I don’t think that will be possible.”

Hunter struggled, but Fusco held onto him.

“Look, you don’t understand,” the woman said. “We were keeping the phones, and yes, I admit it, the guns, because we owed Georgio Romano a favor. I wouldn’t have them in the house; I was too afraid one of the kids would find them. As soon as that’s over, we’re leaving town - moving out west – it’s all set up. We just need to hold onto them for a few more days.”

“And this favor,” Finch said, “are you sure this will be the end of it?”

“Yes, Hunter said it would be.”

Reese glanced at Hunter’s face, and saw he wasn’t as convinced.

Finch must have seen the same because he asked, “Can you be traced once you move?”

“No,” Hunter replied. “Essentially, we’re doing a disappearing act.”

“How quickly can you leave?”

“If need be, we can stick the kids in the car and drive away tonight. The cases are already in the trunk. We didn’t have an exact date for when we were to return the goods.”

“Then I suggest you do just that. Leave the goods with us, and we’ll make sure they’re returned to their owners.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Call it our Christmas present to you. Now get going. And don’t try any funny business.”

The two left, and fifteen minutes later Shaw reported they had driven away with the two kids in the back of the car.

“What do we do now?” Shaw asked.

“I suggest you and Mr Reese return the goods to Georgio Romano in your own inimitable way,” Finch replied. “And now, it has been a lovely party, but I think it is time I was getting home.”


End file.
